Arguing with the Umpire

One of more enduring images of Major League Baseball, for better or for worse, is that of the umpire and the manager face-to-face and nose-to-nose yelling at each other until the Main Honcho Father Figure Guy, so apoplectic he can’t stand it, steps back and kicks dirt on the umpire’s shoes, which must be the cardinal sin of all things to do to an umpire, because that’s when the umpire throws his head back, and roars and points his thumb up and out, and throws him out of the game. Sometimes it is followed by more screaming and cursing, and trying to pick up a base and throw it, but no matter what, the manager is out for the rest of the game. The camera follows him as he stomps off the field, charges through the dugout and disappears into the locker room, never to be seen for the rest of the game. This scene always reminded me of a cross between a two year throwing a tantrum and two roosters butting up chest to chest to fight over the pretty chicken in the barn.

I mean, the umpire is deciding the future of your team. Why do you want to piss him off and get him on your bad side? I’d make him cookies before the game, ask about his kids, be helpful in chasing after the balls, and tell him that he looked good in blue.

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

One of the things I’ve learned about baseball is that there are all these weird traditions and subtle psychological plays. This is one of them. (Plus, I learned that it is totally inappropriate to give baked goods to an umpire before the game, and the umpire is specifically instructed not to be over familiar with the players, so he wouldn’t answer the question about his kids anyway!)

First of all, the umpire is often referred to as Blue, because of the color of his uniform.
There are usually four umpires in a MLB game. The one at the plate, is the umpire-in-chief, or plate umpire. He’s the one you see the most because he is calling strikes and balls. The other three are positioned around the three bases (thus called base umpires) but will move around to see the ball better and to keep out of the way of the players.

Number 1 Rule for umpires and printed in capital letters in the official rule book -- BE IN POSITION TO SEE EVERY PLAY.

Another important rule, the umpire’s call of a ball or a strike is final. Team members are not allowed to object to that decision or ask another umpire their opinion. Of course, batters do in a subtle, yet loud and fairly obvious way. Sometimes the batter will ask the umpire about his decision, so he can get a good sense of how the ump is defining the strike zone. And sometimes, especially as the game goes on, the batter shows his disagreement through the incredulous stare, the look that can wound, the ever so slight shaking of the head, and sometimes a little zinger under the breath directed to no one in particular.

One exception to the rule that batters can’t appeal to another umpire is the “check” swing or half swing. If a player starts to swing at a ball, then “checks” or halts his swing about halfway and the throw is outside of the strike zone, the plate umpire can request, or the manager or catcher can appeal to the first base or third base umpire to judge if the batter went far enough around to call it a full swing (thus a strike) because he missed the ball. The first base umpire is at a better angle to see how far around the bat goes.

Another important guide for an umpire is to call every play as accurately as they can. If he is sure about a call, he should not be intimidated by an angry player or saliva spraying manager. If he is not sure about a call, he should consult with other umps. And he should not play “compensatory justice" and try to make up for a bad call he might have made earilier by calling a favorable rulingl to even things ups. It should just be based on what is in front of him. There is no instant replay in baseball (on television yes, but the umpires never review an instant replay if a call is questioned like they do in football.) An umpire can request the help of another umpire but an umpire can never question the call of another umpire without being invited to. So that means the umpire’s call is pretty important. And you know, sometimes, they are wrong. A manager can appeal to the umpire to reverse a decision, such as a “safe” or “out” on base decision (but remember, not on balls and strikes.)

Thus that’s where the psychology comes in. That’s where the rule against attacking the umpire had to be put in, too.

Managers and players are not allowed to touch or assault the ump. Kicking sand on Blue’s shoes is considered contact (think of it as granular assault) and it’s come to symbolize the ultimate in disrespect. Past managers Earl Weaver of the Orioles and Billy Martin of the Yankees were the worst examples of the out of control displays of disagreement. We are a kinder and gentler nation now and there seems a much lower tolerance for disrespecting Blue. "Baseball follows culture!" the Boyfriend likes to expound and it certainly applies to this issue.

That brings us to another rule. If things get out of hand, an umpire can use his judgment to remove or eject a player or manager from the game. And you would think that a manager would avoid being tossed at all cost, but au contraire, my little cheese dripping nacho boat.

Arguing with the umpire never changes a strike to a ball, or a ball back into a strike. It usually doesn’t make the runner stealing base any less out at second. The umpire hardly ever changes his call. (though there is an appeal process to the higher ups after a game if the decision affected the outcome of the game.) The Main Honcho Father Figure Guy goes out and takes on the ump, get this, because his guys want him to. People get very passionate about their baseball and the manager is no exception. A manager defending his players fires up the crowd and it fires up the players too. The Boyfriend’s wisdom on this piece is, “He is not arguing because of this call. He is arguing for the next call.” It is a piece of baseball theater.

Sometimes the tantrum is a merely meltdown of a man who needs to learn to keep his temper. But sometimes it is actually a subtle stroke of strategic play. Joe Giardi, current manager of the Yankees, got thrown out recently for Yankees just recently (for “granular assault” of all things) and his team roared back and won the game.

Lou Piniella, former skipper for the Seattle Manager and now managing the Chicago Cubs, tells a story of how he wanted to charge up his lackluster team. When he handed in his batting order to the umpires, he asked, “I need to get thrown out of this game. Which one of you wants to do it?”

I think it’s a guy thing.